Why Enabled by Design-athon?

Enabled by Design-athon is designed to create an inclusion mindset. Participation and inclusion are basic human rights and are the most significant human rights issues identified by people with a disability living in Australia today. A recent Deloitte study in the US found that seventy-two percent of full time employees said they would consider leaving an organization for one that is more inclusive. And the number of people living with a disability in Australia is almost 1 in 5 people (a global market the size of China). This event brings teams together to solve problems of inclusion through an inclusive design process.

What will you get out of the event?

The event will equip participants with a mindset, a memory and a process to design the greatest products and services for the greatest number of people. Participants will be equipped with design thinking and lean startup tools to put inclusion into practice. In doing so, you will attract and retain the best people in the race for talent.

What is the event exactly?

It is a dynamic 2-day entrepreneurial education accelerator – starting with inspirational TED style lightning talks, empathy experience stations, participants will be shown 5 short movies showing what others find disabling with their world. Then using design thinking and lean startup tools, teams will be supported to develop prototypes to real problems that can be taken back to the workplace to implement. The 2-days will finish with a showcase of the prototypes that have been created.

“I thought I was quite inclusive before EbD, but I learned that when you think with inclusion, it benefits everyone. The energy I had in those three days I hadn’t had in the past few years.”
DEREK CAIRNS, TELSTRA

“Amazing team, awesome people and it was a really great experience!”
MELINDA STRIER, ING AUSTRALIA

“When you design and build for people with disability, it actually ends up being advantageous to everybody. I now have more empathy and compassion toward others.”
SUE MCDONNELL, TELSTRA